Amy Adams gets up close and personal in new Arrival clip

In Arrival, aliens have landed on Earth, and we have no idea why they’re here. What, exactly, is their purpose? It would be a simple question — if only we spoke Alien (or they spoke English).

Enter Dr. Louise Banks, played by Amy Adams. She’s a linguist with a tragic past and a security clearance. She’s soon asked to communicate with this unknown species. In this clip, below, we see her on her first attempt.

Louise approaches the aliens holding a white board with her name written on it. When she realizes that her environment suit is a barrier to communication, she removes it — to the dismay of her colleagues. She then approaches the seven-fingered (I counted) creatures for a proper introduction.

It’s a brief clip, but it gives us a good look at what to expect from the film: a linguist who wants to do the best job she can, the only way she knows how. We also get a look at the nifty circular shapes that make up the alien language.

Will Louise learn to speak Alienese? We’ll know more when Arrival arrives in theaters on Nov. 11.